Deepfake fraud is surging at an alarming rate, with a 3,000% increase in reported attempts last year alone, according to the London-based identity verification company Onfido. The availability of low-cost generative AI tools has fueled this rise, making it easier than ever for malicious actors to create fake video and audio content. It’s an unbelievable development, and one of the biggest security risks I’ve seen in my decades working in the video conferencing industry.
These days we see more and more examples of fraudsters using these AI tools to manipulate identities in real-time, posing a significant threat to video conferencing, where trust is key, and resulting in tens of millions of dollars in damage.
For video conferencing, this means that it’s time to build your defenses. Though deepfake detection technology is still playing catch up, robust authentication and authorization measures exist today that offer an effective way to mitigate the growing risk of you being victim of a deepfake video call.
How multi factor authentication and authorization can help mitigate deepfake risks
Authenticating and authorizing users is a critical component of secure video conferencing and preventing deepfakes. These measures help ensure that only legitimate users are allowed into a meeting.
Authentication: verifying identity before access
Authentication ensures that a user is who they claim to be before they are allowed access to a meeting. It typically involves verifying credentials before granting entry. For a video conference, this may include:
- Two-factor authentication (2FA): Involves a password plus a second form of verification, such as a code sent to a user’s mobile device.
- Single sign-on (SSO): This allows participants to log in through a central system that verifies their identity across multiple platforms.
- Digital certificates: These can be used to authenticate devices and participants.
Authorization: controlling access and permissions
Authorization is the process of determining what a user is allowed to do once they are authenticated. For a video conference, this means controlling who can access certain meetings and what users can do in those meetings. Attribute-based access control (ABAC) and role-based access control (RBAC) are two effective approaches for managing permissions.
- RBAC: Permissions are assigned based on a person’s role in the organization. Only certain roles (such as a manager) may be allowed to enter the meeting, for example.
ABAC: This adds another layer of security by evaluating multiple attributes, such as location, device type, and user behavior, before allowing access.
The importance of multi-layered security
While authentication and authorization measures can help prevent deepfake video calls, they are not foolproof. This is why it is important to adopt a multi-layered security approach, alongside authentication and authorization measures, which should include:
- Monitoring and behavioral analysis: Tracking unusual behavior in meetings, such as odd speech patterns or unusual requests.
- AI-based deepfake detection tools: AI solutions can analyze subtle inconsistencies in video or audio.
- Secure meeting environments: Host the video meeting in a secure, self-hosted environment to reduce exposure to external threats.
Your best bet when it comes to deepfake prevention
Though the deepfake video call challenge is intensifying, strong authentication and authorization practices offer a solid line of defense, ensuring that only the right people gain access to the right meetings. However, these measures should be part of a broader security approach that incorporates continuous monitoring, smart use of AI-enabled deepfake prevention tools to ‘fight back’, and a secure, self-hosted meeting platform to reduce overall risk. With these practices, organizations can stay ahead of the deepfake threat and maintain the much-needed trust and integrity of their video conferences.
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